James b



J. 3. 0oz. THAUMATROPE.

(No Model.)

Paten td Aug. 22, 1893.

INVEN T R; Jaim z. an

WITNESSES.-

A T TORNE Y.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES B. COX, OF BROOKLYN, ASSI GNOR OF TWO-THIRDS TO GEORGE B. HURD AND FRANK B. 'I-IURD, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

. THAUNIATROPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 503,927, dated August 22, 1893.

Application filed March 18, 1893.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES B. COX, a citizen of the United States, residing'atBrooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Thaumatropes; and I do herebydeclare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the in vention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to an instrument in which the permanency of visual impressions is utilized to reveal readable words, phrases and other inscriptions printed, stamped or otherwise impressed or mounted in relief on a card, plate, board or other surface, and the invention consists of a card, plate, board or surface on which are printed, stamped, impressed or mounted, so as to be distinguish-. able from the surface of the card forming the background any desired words, phrases, figures or other matter for instruction, amusement, information or advertisement, one or more of the said words, phrases, figures, &c., being concealed by a rotatable opaque disk mounted on a pivot fixed in the face of the card or other surface, and having a sector shaped piece cut out of it or rendered transparent, if preferred, so as to reveal a sector shaped space on the face of the card, whereby when the disk is rotated the word, phrase or other inscription under the disk is rendered visible and readable.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 represents a card, plate or board on which is printed an inscription; Fig. 2, a disk which is intended/to be mounted on a pivot on the card so as to conceal the inscription. Fig. 3 represents the card and disk placed together with the inscription picked out in broken lines; Fig. 4, a transverse section of the card and disk taken through the pivot. Fig. 5 represents a modification of the invention in which a spring is provided to automatically oscillate the disk, and Fig. 6 represents the spring used for this purpose.

Referring to the drawings,A is a card plate or board which may be made of any suitable material as paper, wood, sheet metal, celluloid, &c. On the surface of this disk, within a circle 0, of less diameter than the disk pres- Serial No. 466.569. (No model.)

ently described, is printed, stamped, pressed or otherwise mounted or impressed, a word, for example, Victor in well defined lettering and strongly marked relief from the surface of the card. In the present case, the lettering is black on a white ground, but it may be readily understood that any color or colors may be substituted, it being'only necessary that there should be a marked contrast between the letters (more especially the outlines thereof) and the; ground on which they are printed, stamped or otherwise placed. This word, it is intended, shall be entirely concealed by the disk D, which is mounted on a pivot 19 fixed in the center of the circle and secured .thereon by a nut or washer held by riveting the end of the pivot against the washer as may be preferred. Outside of the circle 0, there may be printed or otherwise formed on the surface of the card, words, phrases, sentences or other matter which, together with the concealed word may convey certain information which may be of an instructive or amusing character, or it may be parts of an advertisement, of which the concealed word forms a distinguishing element as, for example, the trade mark, name or symbol of the article or articles advertised, or missing part or parts of a word, phrase or sentence outside of the circle which, when revealed, informs thepublic of the character and qualities of the article advertised or published. The disk D has a sector shaped section cut out of it whereby is formed an opening 0 through which the surface of the card which the disk can be easily and rapidly rotated or given a rotary motion, and also to serve as a weight that will cause the disk invariably to come to rest with the opening downward, as shown in Fig. 3, whereby the word under the disk will always be concealed when the disk is at rest and canonly be discovered by turning or whisking the disk.

Constructed as above described, the word, phrase, &G., under the disk are entirely concealed, but. by causing the disk to rotate at a certain speed as the openinglo passes over every part of the word in the course of the rotation of the disk every part becomes visible and owing to the rapidity of the motion and the permanency of the impression on the eye the effect is to make the whole word visible as long as the rotation continues, and the word thus made visible and readable being. associated with the words, phrases,i&c., outside of the circle, the entire printed matter contained on the surface of the. card may be read togetherand thereby the information in the way of advertisement or other-mattercom municated-to the reader. The rotary motion maybe made continuous by'connecting the disk with clock work mechanism. Furtlien more the rotation may be made to continue automatically'for a considerable time after the first impulse has been given,by means of i the device shown in the modification, Figs..5, 6,.thisdevice consisting ofa helical'spring s; having one end attached'tothe' pivot 19 and theother end tothecardi \Vhen a rotaryim pulse is given to'the disk, the spring is WOllIld. up andlin unwinding-the disk is rotatedbackward and thus, by the alternatingretraction and expansion of thespringan oscillating'moition is given to the disk, d'uring' which the word is kept visible, and which continues un= tilthe force is exhausted. In place of a sector shaped space a series of radial slits may be formed in the disk at proper intervals apartz Iclaim- 11 The combination of" a stationary flat surface having a word, phrase, symbolor sentence printed or otherwise formed upon it within a circle, other words, phrases or sentences outside of the circle, the entire inscription forming a sentence an opaque rotatable disk mounted on a pivot and covering the matter within the circle, said disk having a sector ishaped opening ortransparent sector-shaped space. formed in it, whereby, when the disk is rotated the inscription becomes readable, substantially as specified.

2." Ihe combination of a stationary flat surface having a word, phrase, symbol or sentence printed or otherwise formed upon it within a circle other'words, phrases or sentences outside of the said circle, the entire inscription forming a sentence, an opaque rotatable disk mounted on a pivot and covering the matter within said circle, said" disk having a sector shaped opening or transparent sectorshaped fspace formed in it, andmeans for givingian 'oscillating motion to the disk, whereby when thedisk'is rotatedthe matter concealed by the 'disk' is discovered" and the entire inscription fbecomes readable, substantially asspecified. 3; The combinati'onof a hat surface having *aword phrase, symbol or sentence printed or otherwise formed upon itwithin acirc'le, other words, phrases or sentences, outside' of the said circle, an'opaque rotatable dis-k mounted "on a pivot and covering thematter'withinsaid fcircle, said disk havingtasector shaped openingor transparentsector shaped space formed init and a Weiglitfor causingtthe disk tocome fto-res-t'with the sector shaped" space downward, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the invention fabove set forth I affix my signaturein presence of two-witnesses. J AMES B. 00X.

Witnesses? WILTON-'6. DONN,

CHAS. E. PETERS. 

